


First Responder

by Beachdreamy



Category: FinnPoe - Fandom, Star Wars, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy, Stormpilot - Fandom, The Last Jedi
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, Christmas, Cute, Fluff, Love, M/M, Modern Day, New Years, Sweet, christmas/ new years
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-28
Updated: 2020-01-02
Packaged: 2021-02-24 23:07:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,044
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22005949
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Beachdreamy/pseuds/Beachdreamy
Summary: A Christmas party leads to Finn, a new-in-town nurse, meeting Fire Chief, Poe Dameron._____This is a modern day AU where Finn (a nurse) and Poe (a fire fighter) meet at a Christmas party. My intentions are to make this short(ish) and sweet! I just want more cute stormpilot out there.
Relationships: Finn/Poe, Finnpoe, Stormpilot - Relationship
Comments: 3
Kudos: 90





	1. The Christmas Party

December in California was way too warm. Finn had just moved to Sacramento and he was really hoping that it was his last time. The job he had secured at the hospital seemed like such a good deal that he had no choice but to leave his friends in Denver behind and move west. Now, he was alone. He had a job and a small apartment, but that was it. As he unpacked his closet, he caught a glimpse of the sky beyond his bedroom window- bright blue and not a cloud in sight. Wrong, everything felt wrong. 

Finn tried to console himself, he really did. It could take months to feel settled in, he told himself. Give it time. And he knew that it would take starting work and getting to know some new people to make him feel at ease, but rationalization didn’t stop the ache in his chest. 

After two days of unpacking his life and reorganizing, Finn was itching to get out of his apartment building and start work.  
The walk to the hospital wasn’t too long, and Finn finally found himself grateful for the sunshine. Walking to work like this in Denver would have never been possible this time of year. He smiled to himself as he pulled the big doors open and walked inside. 

A kind looking receptionist introduced herself as Rey and shook his hand. Strong, firm. He liked her immediately and Finn felt, with relief, a bit of the ache in his chest soften. 

“Your locker number is 2187,” Rey told him with a smile. Her mouse scrolled through his file at an amazing speed, “Your charge is waiting for you on the 2nd floor nurse’s station. You’ll want to go there before you find your locker. Oh and here’s my number- We should get a drink after work sometime.” Rey handed him a slip of paper with her name and number scribbled on it and Finn looked completely shocked. She chuckled. “Take it, dummy. I don’t see a ring on your finger and seen as how this tells me you just got here from Colorado, I’m assuming you need a friend.” 

Finn blushed and scratched the back of his neck, “You’re... observant, Rey.” He took the slip of paper. 

Rey winked, “Nah, I’m just plain nosy. You’d better get up to immediate care, Nurse. I would hate for you to be late on your first day.”

And his first friendship in California was born. Finn and Rey became fast friends, going out for drinks after their shifts, spilling their secrets over shots, and vying to beat one another at darts. About a week in, once his boss had approved him for his first full shift in the immediate care ward with no supervisor, Finn got his first taste of the town’s first responders. A drunk driver had hit a sedan, resulting in a fire-y spectacle on the side of the road and leaving an older woman in critical condition. The first responders patched her up as best they could on their way to the hospital and Finn had to say he was impressed. After he had helped the doctors alleviate the immediate injuries and taken care of the paperwork to submit her to the ICU for intensive care, he thought about the job that had been done before him. Whoever it was, they had done surprisingly well for a first responder. 

_________

“Not to be snobby or anything, but first responders aren’t typically amazing at what they do, ya know?” Finn hiccuped and Rey chuckled at her friend, “but this one was really good. Not the usual poor excuse of a patch up job.” Another hiccup. He was clearly sloshed. Finn downed the rest of his beer and signaled to the bar tender but Rey politely intervened.

“Finn, bud, I think you’ve had enough there.” Her friend looked disappointed but didn’t try to argue. “Here drink some of this,” she slid him her water and he accepted. “Well whoever this really good first responder is, they’re bound to be at the christmas party next weekend. Lots of hospital staff, some of the pd, fire fighters, yada yada, you get the gist. It’ll be fun.” Rey looked hopeful. 

“Uh uh,” Finn shook his head dramatically in his drunkenness, “I don’t like big parties.” 

“C’mon man, you’ve gotta go, for me!” 

“Why’s that, huh?”

Rey bit her lip and seemed to be weighing her options. Finally she blurted out, “I need you to be my wingman.” 

Finn couldn’t help it. Rey looked so exasperated and completely serious and Finn was... well Finn was drunk. So he laughed, like an idiot. People were staring. 

“Shut. Up. Finn.” Her eyes widened. Finn just kept laughing until Rey pulled him off his bar stool and dragged him outside. 

“Where are we going Rey Rey?” 

“I’m driving you home, dummy.” She shoved him into the passenger seat and started to drive. When they arrived outside his apartment, Rey locked the doors. 

“Oh no, Rey Rey! Your car is possessed! The door just locked itself!” 

“Calm down Finn! I locked it,” his eyes widened with drunken amazement. “I just really need your help next week at the Christmas party, okay? I really like this girl from the Fire Department and I want to ask her out but if no one else is holding me accountable I’m afraid I’m going to chicke-“ 

“I’ll go with you Rey Rey.” Finn’s voice was soft and sincere. 

Rey looked up at him in shock, “Really?” He nodded back with a big smile and Rey remembered how many shots he had that night. She produced a scratch piece of paper and a pen from her center console and scribbled out her terms before presenting the paper to Finn. 

I, Finn, do hereby promise to go to the Christmas party with Rey next week on 12/23 and help her ask out the girl she likes. 

She shoved the pen into Finn’s hand, “Sign.” She demanded. And he did. The signature was sloppy and he smeared the ink a bit with his hand but it was official. There was no backing out now. 

_______

Finn tried everything to get out of his contract with Rey. He even got his shift rescheduled for that night, but his boss had mistaken the request and put him down to work right after the party ended leaving its timeslot completely free. 

Maybe there’s a reason, Finn tried to reason with himself again. It wouldn’t hurt to meet some more people. Rey was pleased with how things were turning out, to say the least. She helped Finn with his cuff links and smiled at his appearance. 

“You clean up nice, Finn.” 

“Not too bad, yourself, Walker.” 

“Might just find us a couple of hunnies yet,” she winked at him and he chuckled. 

“Let’s go get you that date, Rey.”

______

The party was being held at the ballroom of the hotel a block away from the hospital. The room was bustling with people. Everyone seemed to get along pretty well, save for the pd and the fire fighters. Finn guessed that some rivalries were just built to last. Rey knew everyone there and made quick work of introductions. A group of fire fighters were standing at the bar- the only people Rey had yet to introduce Finn to. She seemed to dodge their group any time Finn started to move them in that direction. 

The whole evening, she had seemed so relaxed and natural, but now Rey looked like a nervous mess. Finn did his best to look nonchalant as he pulled her aside. 

“Rey, I know you’re nervous but you have no reason to be. You’re great and if this girl doesn’t agree, then she’s not worth the sweat.” 

Rey nodded and gulped. She grabbed his hand and with a determined nod, she lead him toward the fire fighters. “Stay calm, stay calm, stay calm.” 

“I am calm, Rey.” 

“I was talking to myself.” 

Soon they were in the circle, shaking hands with and talking to the fire fighters. Rey offered to order Jess, the girl she liked, another drink so the two split off and then it was just Finn and two other fire fighters, Iolo and Karé. Finn didn’t mind, he liked the couple and they made good conversation. 

“Well those two seem to be getting along just fine, don’t they.” Iolo chuckled, nodding to the end of the bar where Rey and Jess were having an animated conversation. 

“They’d better be,” Finn muttered. 

Karé clapped Finn on the shoulder with a chuckle, “You’re a good man, Finn.”

“Who’s a good man?” A smooth voice said from behind Finn. He felt a shiver crawl up his spine. 

“Poe, you made it!” Karé exclaimed as the man enveloped her in a hug. Iolo joined them. The man was even more beautiful than his voice. Tan skin, 5 o’clock shadow, deep brown curls on top of his head. He was wearing a dark blue suit that fit him perfectly. 

“Poe, this is Finn, he just started at the hospital here.”

Stay calm, Finn. He stretched his hand out for a handshake but Poe wasn’t having any of that. He quickly turned the hand shake into a hug. Man he smelled good, Finn thought. 

“Fire chief, Poe Dameron. Pleasure to meet you, Finn.”

“The pleasure’s mine.” They smiled at one another for a moment and Finn felt his stomach flip over. And then Karé and Iolo got called away to speak to some doctor from the hospital leaving Finn and Poe alone by the bar. 

“I see you don’t have a drink. Let me buy you one.” Poe’s eyes crinkled with his smile. Talk about gorgeous. 

Finn wished so badly he could accept, “Sorry, I appreciate the offer but I have work in about an hour.” 

Poe made a noise of understanding, “The things we give up for the job, huh?” He bit his lip and took a long sip of his drink. Finn guessed it was whiskey. 

“Ha. Yeah, I guess,” Did Poe Dameron just check me out? He blushed at the thought of such a thing. 

“So what brought you here?”

“I just moved from Colorado at the beginning of this month.” Finn confided. 

Poe’s eyes were big and understanding. Finn wanted to stare into them forever.

“That must be rough. You got family out here? Friends? Girlfriend? ...Boyfriend?” 

If Finn had a drink he would’ve spit it out. “Just the friends I’ve made.” He smiled. Poe smiled back. Suddenly Karé was calling Poe over to her. 

“I’ve gotta go, but if you need anything just let me know. Okay, buddy?”

“Yeah-“ Finn started, but Poe had already been swept away. As Finn looked around, he spotted Rey and Jess talking in another circle across the room. He felt lonely again. Grabbing a seat at the bar, he asked for a glass of water. How boring could 1 hour be? 

Turns out, very boring. Finn was practically asleep in 10 minutes. Not even people watching could keep his attention, he just found his eyes wandering the crowd looking to catch a glimpse of Poe. He tracked him from circle to circle, watching him erupt into smiles and laughter. Finn felt his lips turn upward each time Poe’s head fell backward in laughter. And then he felt like a creep, watching the fire chief traipse around the room so he looked at the clock on the wall for a solid 5 minutes and tried to suppress his blush. 

After that, Poe was nowhere to be seen. Finn figured with a surprising amount of regret that he must have left the party. 

“Hey Rey,” he tapped his friend on the shoulder. She turned around with the biggest smile. 

“Finn!”

“I’m going to head in to work, but you two have fun, alright.” 

“Have a good shift, Finn.” She kissed his cheek and then returned to her conversation with Jess without missing a beat. At least one of us got what we wanted tonight. 

As he walked in the darkness to the hospital, Finn started to beat himself up. He found himself overthinking the entire conversation with Dameron. What he thought had been flirting got over worked in his head until Finn was certain (and disappointed) that it had not been. At least then he was grateful he hadn’t had time to ask for Poe’s phone number. That would have been embarrassing. 

Finn trudged out of his nice suit and into his scrubs. He still had a few minutes until he was technically on the clock so he decided he could leave the immediate care ward and check on the woman in the ICU without feeling guilty. He walked to her room with his head in the clouds, not yet fully pulled away from Poe Dameron and therefore not fully in tact. 

He stopped at the door when he heard someone speaking inside. The chart didn’t show any visitors since her admittance and no one had signed in today. He stuck his ear up to the door with curiosity. 

“Señor, Dios nuestro, que enviaste al mundo a tu Hijo para que sobrellevara nuestro sufrimiento y aguantara nuestros dolores te pedimos por nuestros hermanos enfermos que, con tu bendición, llequen a superar la enfermedad y, con tu ayuda, alcancen un completo restablecimiento Por Jesucristo nuestro Señor, Amen” 

After a moment of silence, Finn opened the door. The man beside her bed stood up in shock, rosary hanging from his hands. “I’m sorry sir, you can’t be in here. It’s family only and if that’s the case you need to check in downstai- Poe?”

And then Finn tripped over a cord and slammed his knee right into the edge of the medical cart in front of the woman’s bed. 

“Finn!”

There was a lot of blood and Finn was already feeling a little woozy. Poe was at his side in an instance. He slid the rosary around his neck as he assessed the damage and then began raiding the supply closet before Finn could even tell him what to do. 

“Poe, what..? What are you?” 

“Certified first responder, at your service,” he smiled a strained smile that somehow still managed to make Finn feel a little bit better. 

“I should be the one doing this, I’m a nurse.” 

“No, I’ve got this. Trust me.” He was looking right into Finn’s eyes. 

“Okay,” he said softly. 

Finn let Poe clean the gash, administer the topical anesthetic, and stitch him up. He felt utterly cared for. Poe did a remarkable job, for a first responder. 

“Do you know her?” 

“Yes... no.... well, yes... and no?”

“What does that mean Poe?” 

“I was the one who trying to stabilize her in the ambulance on the way here. Her first responder. I’ve been trying to check on her but no one’s let me in so far. No one from her family has visited and I just felt so bad for her... she kind of reminds me of my mama.” His eyes were wet with tears but he quickly wiped them away and returned to cleaning up the mess Finn had made. “Sorry.”

“No, no need to be sorry. Thank you for your help, with all this.” Poe chuckled and rose to his feet. He offered the younger man a hand up and helped him walk out to the nurse’s station. 

“No problem, buddy. Hey, why don’t I give you my number,” he smiled at Finn and then added on quickly with a blush, “in case you need anymore stitches.”

“Sure, I mean I know how to give stitches!” He defended his capabilities as a nurse, “but uh, yeah that’d be nice.” He grinned through the pain of his knee and let Poe enter his contact information into his phone. 

“Finn!” What happened to you?!” The head nurse and a few other nurses and interns appeared and Poe slipped away from the crowd. 

______

That night, resting up in bed after being sent home to recover, Finn received a text from his first responder. He smiled and felt the Ache of his heart transform into butterflies in his stomach. 

Goodnight Finn.


	2. Christmas

Poe was smitten. The new nurse had only to smile at him and already Poe was under his spell. When Karé had called him away at the Christmas party, it had felt so wrong to leave Finn there alone. He wanted to keep talking with him, to learn more about him. To... tell him that he had beautiful big brown eyes and the softest, cutest face and that Poe found him incredibly attractive. He wanted to ask him for his number.... And then they had their encounter at the hospital. Talk about embarrassing. 

Sure the night had ended (more or less) well and Poe had gotten the nurse’s number in the end, but he still didn’t feel quite satisfied with the situation. Poe hoped that Finn’s knee was feeling better and he felt incredibly guilty for being the reason it was injured. 

He had sent Finn the goodnight text without even thinking. Luckily Finn had responded sweetly in return with a “Goodnight and thank you.” It had made Poe’s heart flutter. 

Poe texted with Finn throughout all of Christmas Eve, telling his new friend about the day of festivities he was having with his family. As the day went on Poe sent Finn pictures of the tamales he made with his papa and abuela, and him and his primitos making funny faces. Finn was so sweet, asking him questions about his family and their traditions and how to make tamales. Poe found himself smiling down at his phone with every text he got. His papa was even becoming curious about who this mystery man was, but Poe played it off cool just saying that he was talking to a new friend from the hospital. Why let anyone else get excited when nothing had even happened yet? 

“Hijo,” Poe’s papa handed him a glass of wine. The kids were all asleep after a long day, and all of the adults were now hanging out in the living room, “Does your new friend have family around to celebrate Christmas with?” 

Huh. Poe hadn’t even considered that Finn might not have Christmas plans, he did just move to town a few weeks ago. 

“You know I’m not sure...”

“No one likes to be alone on Christmas, hijo,” his dad winked at him. Poe willed away the blush that he could feel rising on his cheeks. 

“No se de que estas hablando papa.” 

Poe’s dad smiled and put his hand on his son’s shoulder. 

“Nunca has sido bueno mintiendo, hijo.”

Poe let out a nervous chuckle before setting down his glass. “It’s late papa. I should head home. Feliz navidad.” 

After he drove home that night, he broached the subject with Finn. 

“Hey buddy, you have plans for Christmas?”

“I have a shift at the hospital.”

“Til when?”

“6pm. Why?”

Poe bit his lip and hoped with all his heart that Finn wouldn’t reject him. He typed out, “Want to have dinner with me?” Poe shut his eyes and felt his stomach turn over with nerves. Just send it, you idiot, he berated himself. 

Sent. 

Delivered. 

Read. 

Oh god, he’s gonna leave me on read isn’t he? 

Three dots. 

Oh god. He’s responding. That might be worse than being left on read! What if he says no. What if he doesn’t have any even vaguely romantic feelings for me. What if-

“Sure. That sounds great.” 

Poe let out a huge breath of relief that he didn’t even realize he had been holding in. 

“Awesome. See you at 7?” 

“It’s a date.”

Poe felt a smile tug at his lips. And then the happiness subsided to anxiety and he began to freak out. What if Finn didn’t like the food? What if he thought Poe’s apartment was tacky? What if he hated Poe’s clothes? What if- 

Poe sent a text to Jess, “Jesssss I need your help.”  
______

Finn didn’t know why he had sent that last text. He spent the rest of his Christmas eve dwelling on it. He had been at Rey’s for dinner when he sent it and promptly freaked the fuck out. Rey would never let him live this down. She laughed at his stress and then reassured him that it was most likely fine.

“He seems like he’s into you Finn. He was probably relieved you said it was a date,” She grinned, sitting beside him on the sofa. 

“Ha. Very funny Rey. He’s like the most attractive person there is no way he’s into me. I bet he’s only even talking to me because he feels bad for me.” 

Rey promptly hit you over the head with her pillow. 

“Ow! What was that for?!”

“Because you’re being an absolute idiot! Poe seems like a great person and you two seem to have been getting along very well. Don’t stress over your date.” She emphasized the word date and wiggled her eyebrows at you. “Now can we please go back to watching Brooklyn 99?” 

Finn sighed in defeat and Rey pressed play on their previously paused show. 

“Want anymore popcorn?”

“Oooh yes please!” Rey handed Finn her empty bowl as he stood up and retreated to the kitchen for a moment of contemplation. 

As he waited for the bags to pop, he sat up on the counter thinking over everything that had happened in the last 2 days. He had gone from only having Rey as a friend to having a possible love interest?- no that was too much to hope for and would be far too fast, and Finn couldn’t bear to get his hopes up for nothing. He decided he would go to Poe’s tomorrow and do his best to not worry or overthink. He was just going to have a good time with his new friend celebrating his first Christmas in California. Anything else was up to the fates. 

As he returned to the couch with two fresh bowls of popcorn and a slightly more at ease demeanor, Rey pulled out a small box wrapped in gold paper. She beamed up at him. 

“I know we said no presents but it’s Christmas eve and to be honest it feels like we’ve been friends for far longer than three and a half weeks... Open it!”

Finn giggled and sat down with his friend. He tore open the wrapping paper and opened the box to find a gold chain with a small bear pendant. “Rey, I love it. You really shouldn’t have though...” 

“Oh shut up! Put it on, put it on,” She urged. 

Finn clasped the necklace around his neck and beamed back at Rey. “Come here.” He wrapped his arms around her, encompassing her in a heartfelt hug. “Thank you so much Rey. I love ya.”

Smushed up against him, came her reply, “I love ya too, Finn” He pressed a kiss to her forehead. 

______

Talking with Jess last night had not exactly helped ease Poe’s nerves, in fact it really only invited more teasing. 

“Poe I have never seen you like this before,” Jess said over the phone. 

“Shut up, Jess, I just don’t want to screw this up any more than I already have.”

“What does that mean Poe?” Oh shit, Jess hadn’t known about Finn’s knee. Poe slapped himself on the forehead and reluctantly told his friend what had happened after he had left the Christmas party. 

“Poe oh my God that is hilarious!”

“Jess....”

“I guess smooth, heart breaker, fire chief, Poe Dameron is no more-“ 

“Jess I swear to-“

“He’s been replaced by a knee breaker!”

“Jess! I didn’t break his knee! I just startled him and he fell okay? Would you stop laughing? I need your help man.”

“Okay, okay, I’m sorry Poe this is really just too good, oh my god okay,” she collected her breath, “what do you need my help with?” 

“What should I make for dinner?”

_____

Finn was a punctual man and there really was no other day he wanted to be on time more than today. C’mon, he had a maybe-date with a beautiful fire fighter, he had been practically buzzing all morning. Unfortunately, the hospital had other plans- it was Christmas after all and the immediate care ward was full of patients that Finn needed to assist. He ended up finishing up with his last patient at 6:30 and since he didn’t have a car, it would take him the other 30 minutes to get to Poe’s house. 

He stood by his locker looking between his phone and his change of clothes. Reluctantly he pulled up Poe’s contact and dialed the number. 

“Finn?”

“Uh, hey Poe.”

“Merry Christmas buddy! What did you need that couldn’t wait,” he chuckled. Finn imagine he was checking the time. He could hear something boiling in the background, “30 minutes?”

“Uh I have a question for ya.”

“Hit me.” Now it sounded like he was chopping vegetables. 

“Well it was really busy today and I actually just got off of work so would you rather I be like 10 minutes late or that I uh change at your place.” He scratched the back of his neck, nervous. There was silence on the line. 

And then Poe was laughing. Heartily. And if Finn hadn’t been so confused he would have swooned over the sound. “Of course you can change at my place, Finn. And don’t worry if you’re a little late, either, okay?” 

“Oh. Okay. Thanks Poe. I’ll uh, I’ll see you soon, yeah?”

“Yeah. See you in a bit.” 

Finn looked down at his scrubs and then back at his change of clothes. He shrugged and pulled his sweatshirt over his head before gathering up his things to leave. 

Poe was setting the table when Finn’s voice echoed through the buzzer, “Poe? It’s me, Finn.”

“Come on in buddy,” He buzzed him in and tried to busy himself while the nurse walked up the stairs to Poe’s apartment on the second floor. Knock knock. Oh god. He’s here. He’s here. Open the door, Poe. 

Finn looked gorgeous. Poe opened the door and felt his heart about jump out of his throat. He was in light blue scrubs and an old University of Denver sweatshirt. He had a shy smile on his face and his cheeks were a tinged with pink. Poe pulled him into a big hug, “Feliz navidad buddy,” he said into his friend’s neck. 

“Merry Christmas.” They stood in the doorway enveloped by each other’s warmth. When they finally pulled apart, Finn felt cold, despite wearing a sweatshirt and being indoors and being in goddamn california. It was 60 degrees outside. And sunny. Poe noticed his shiver and swore he could feel his parents smacking him upside the head. Where were your manners, Poe? 

“Here come inside. You can change in uh my room, it’s just over there.” He pointed to the door across the room, “The bathrooms connected to it inside.”

Finn nodded. Once he had stepped into Poe’s room and closed the door behind him Poe turned the heater up and started to spoon the soup out into the bowls. 

“Thanks for inviting me over Poe.” Finn’s voice came from his doorway. Poe looked up to meet the man’s eyes and almost melted. He just looked so good in his black jeans and his dark blue button up rolled up to his elbows. He could see a gold chain poking out from under his collar. A necklace. A fucking necklace. God he was hot. 

“O-of course, man. It’s nothing.” The two men smiled at each other for a moment before Poe remembered the pozole growing cold on the table, “Oh shit, uh dinner’s ready. I hope you like pozole.” 

Finn grinned at Poe’s nervous energy. He always seemed so suave but not right now. It was like he was showing Finn a part of himself that was often reserved and he really wanted Finn to accept it. 

Of course, the food was delicious, “Is there nothing that you can’t do, Poe?” Pozole almost came out of Poe’s nose. “Seriously, this is so good.” 

“Thanks buddy. I guess my dad wasn’t too bad of a teacher huh?”

“Not too bad? Man if he taught you how to cook this well, I can’t imagine what his cooking tastes like!” 

Poe chuckled. A brief image of Finn meeting Kes, making tamales with his family on Christmas Eve morning flashed across his mind but he shut it out quickly. Don’t fuck this up Dameron, he warned himself. “Yeah he’s a great cook. But my mom was even better.”

“Was?” Finn’s voice was soft. Oh no, this is not where Poe wanted this night going. Not sadness, please. 

“Yeah, she uh passed away when I was 8.” 

“I understand. I was 5 when my parents died.” Finn was really good at holding eye contact, and Poe somehow didn’t feel nervous under his gaze despite the deeply personal topic. “House fire.” 

“Plane crash.” 

“Well I bet her pozole was amazing.” 

“Yeah but I mean, mine’s pretty good right?” He winked and Finn chuckled. 

“C’mon man, don’t make me say it again!”

They shared a laugh. “So you know all about my Christmas Eve yesterday? how was your Christmas Eve with Rey?” 

“It was good actually. She’s not really close with her family so it was just us chilling with some take out. She kept gushing about Jess.” 

“Hey they make a cute couple don’t they?” Poe said with a glimmer in his eye. He could think of two other people that would make a cute couple. 

“Yeah. I’m glad she made me go to that party.”

“Really? She made you go?”

“Yeah, I’m not big on parties unless I can drink but y’know I had work...” 

“Oh shit I didn’t even ask, how’s your knee doing?”

“It’s good actually, I had a really good first responder patch me up.”

“Wow, he sounds like he was pretty great.”

“Yeah. Not too bad on the eyes either,” Finn grinned at Poe’s blush and his nervous chuckle. Where was this confidence coming from? He was flirting with fucking Poe Dameron, the hottest man alive, and he was blushing?! Blushing!

“You’re not too bad yourself, buddy.” 

“I guess not, since he asked me to spend Christmas with him.” He was leaning his elbows on the table now, his head resting in his hands. A flirty grin was on his face, “I don’t wanna lie to you, Poe. I’m kind of a big deal.” He winked. Poe let out the loudest belly laugh and soon enough Finn joined in. Both of their stomachs ached from laughing but neither could stop. It was a good full minute before the giggles subsided to just heavy breathing and sighs of content. 

“You’re a funny man, Finn.” They sat in a heavy silence for a moment, just looking at each other. Finn’s stomach knotted itself up, he thought he might throw up if he had to sit there staring at this gorgeous man without speaking for another second. 

“I can help you with the dishes.” Wow great one, Finn thought to himself, boring as fuck. But Poe’s eyes widened in a bit of surprise. 

“That’s a sweet offer but you’re my guest.”

“It’s the least I could do.” Finn pulled out the puppy dog eyes and Poe relented, throwing his spoon down into his empty bowl. 

“Fine, fine! You can help me. Just stop looking at me like that.” 

Finn looked giddy with victory and scrambled out of his seat to help Poe clean up. 

They did the dishes and talked and joked and laughed and Poe felt his heart swelling with happiness at the domestic moment. He wasn’t exactly the kind of guy to settle down, hell that had never even been something that had crossed his mind with other people he had been attracted to. But Finn was, well Finn.  
He was different. 

When the last pot was dried and the clean up was done, Poe ventured, “Want to watch a movie?” 

Finn was taken for a bit of surprise. He had assumed that they would have dinner and then he would go home, end of story. He weighed his options. 

A) Go home now. He wasn’t too tired and the walk would be bearable. But he would be alone for the rest of the night. 

Or

B) Stay with Poe and watch a movie. Walk home much later and a whole lot more tired. But not be lonely for a couple extra hours. 

“Sure. What did you have in mind?” 

“You can pick one, I have a cabinet full of movies. I’ll make hot chocolate while you pick?” Poe raised up a bottle of Bailey’s and cocked his eyebrow. 

Finn chuckled, “Sure man. But go easy on mine, okay? I have work tomorrow.” 

“So do I.” He grinned at Finn and wiggled his eyebrows. Finn just shrugged him off and left the kitchen to pick a movie. 

Poe shouted after him, “It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve shown up to work hung over!”

“So reckless, Poe!” He shouted back. Under the scornful tone, Poe knew Finn was smiling. 

He added some whipped cream to the mugs and brought them out to the couch where Finn was already all set up. He about lost his shit when Finn smiled up at him and accepted the mug eagerly. 

“What movie did you pick?” 

“You’ll find out.” Poe sat down very close to Finn. Their thighs were touching but neither of them moved. Finn grinned and took a big sip of hot chocolate. The skin above his lip was covered in whipped cream. 

“Uh, buddy you’ve got a little something-“ Just as Poe reached out to wipe it away with his thumb, Finn’s tongue darted out. 

“Sorry!” They said in unison. And then they were laughing again like before. Poe had to set his mug down on the coffee table for safe measure. They laughed well past the opening sequence and then Poe realized what movie Finn had chosen. 

“Monster house? On Christmas?” 

“There are no rules to when you can enjoy a quality film such as monster house, Dameron.” Finn looked so serious, it was adorable. Poe put his hands up in defeat and sunk back down into the cushions with his hot chocolate. 

“You trying to get me drunk Poe? This is really strong.” 

“Sorry I can’t talk right now, I’m watching the movie.” 

Finn opened his mouth to retort but Poe turned to face him with his finger over his lips in the universal sign for “shush” so Finn did just that. He drank his spiked hot chocolate and watched the movie. Until his eyelids started feeling real heavy and he realized that he was really tired. It had been such a long, stressful day at the hospital and then the excitement of his date. It was all getting to him. 

In his sleepy state of mind, Finn decided it would be fine for him to close his eyes, just for a moment. 

Finn’s head drooped down to the side until the weight of it lowered it down to rest on Poe’s shoulder. He looked over at Finn, who looked so soft under just the glow of Christmas lights and the TV. Carefully, Poe took Finn’s mug from his hands and set it on the coffee table. The sight of such a sleepy Finn was making Poe feel the same tiredness and eventually, he fell asleep too, his heart happy. 

______

When Finn woke up, the TV was frozen on the end credits of the movie. He felt a little confused at his surroundings until he recalled the night- the dinner and flirting and the movie. And then he realized with absolute horror that he was sleeping on Poe’s shoulder. 

Please tell me I didn’t drool, please, Finn pleaded quietly in his head. Thank god, no puddle on Poe’s shirt. Poe seemed to still be asleep, so Finn carefully moved off of him and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He turned to look at Poe and felt his heart melt. He just looked.... so cute. 

His face was so soft in sleep and he was snoring just slightly. And then Poe turned to him and cracked his eyes open. He had been caught staring. 

“Like what you see?” 

Even in the haze of sleep, Poe was a suave flirt. Finn blushed. And then he looked past Poe to the clock on the wall. 2:35 AM. 

“Shit.” Finn groaned. “It’s so late.”

“Are you okay to drive?” Poe asked him sleepily. 

“Drive? I don’t have a car. I walked here”

This information seemed to jolt Poe out of sleep, “What?”

“I don’t have a car. I’m gonna walk home.” Finn didn’t get what the big deal was.

“You walked- What?! Walk home? I- No, no Finn there’s no way I’m letting you walk home at 2 in the fucking morning. C’mon I’ll drive you.” Poe stood up and began walking to his room, “Just give me like 2 minutes to take a piss and grab shoes and then we’ll go, okay?”

Finn didn’t know what to say, so he sat there open mouthed as Poe turned around and shut the door behind him. 

______

Poe had a really nice car, of course. A black 1985 Mercedes 380SL to be exact. Yes, the convertible. This was Incredibly Hot Fire Chief Poe Dameron we were talking about, of course his car was just as sexy as him. Finn was going to have a uh, hard time falling asleep after being driven home by Poe in this car. 

Finn shook those thoughts away as Poe pulled out of the parking garage. It was a really good thing Poe had offered to drive, it would have been at least an hour walk for Finn. 

The drive was quiet with Poe humming just loud enough for Finn to hear him over the wind. He didn’t recognize the song, but he could tell just by his humming that Poe had a beautiful voice. He stowed that information in his mind... for later. It was kind of cold, and Finn noted with great regret that he had left his sweatshirt in Poe’s room. 

“You cold man? I have a jacket back here somewhere...” he stuck his tongue out slightly as he contorted himself to root around the floor of the small backseat while also keeping an eye on the road. Just as Finn was about to tell him it was alright, Poe stuck his hand up victorious, brown leather jacket in his grip, “Got it!” 

He handed it to Finn who gladly pulled it on. It smelled like Poe and was incredibly warm. 

They pulled up to a stop light and Poe turned to look at Finn in his jacket. God, he looks good, he thought to himself. 

“Like what you see, Dameron?” Finn grinned. 

Screw it, “Yeah Finn, I really do.” 

That wiped the cocky grin from Finn’s face a blush taking its place. The light turned green and they sped off. 

A minute later, they were in front of Finn’s apartment. Poe parked and hopped out- yes, literally hopped over the door- just quick enough to open Finn’s door for him. They walked up to the door to the building in silence. Finally, Finn said, “Thanks for driving me home, Poe. And uh, thank you for tonight.” 

“No problem Finn. I had a great time.”

Finn smiled and Poe felt like his heart was simultaneously melting and about to beat out of his chest. He had really never felt this way before. Finn started, to Poe’s horror, to remove the leather jacket, “No no no, keep it. It suits you.” He grinned, “besides if you keep it tonight that means you have to see me again.” 

“Oh really, and what makes you think I want that.” Finn flirted, leaning back against the door all cocky. 

“Well that’s what I want.” Okay, Finn was not expecting that answer. “I like you Finn.” Poe breathed out. 

Say something Finn, please say something, Poe willed with his mind. Finn felt all of his confidence knocked out of him by Poe’s vulnerability. He stood up straighter and felt his hands fidgeting, he couldn’t stop himself. He was suddenly incredibly nervous. 

Poe felt the same way. 

“I like you too.” He smiled. Poe smiled back. They stood there in silence, again, this time a heavy, pregnant pause between them. Finn swallowed and Poe looked at Finn’s lips wanting so badly to kiss them. But Finn looked so nervous and then he broke the silence, “It’s uh, late. We have work tomorrow.” 

And just like that Poe was thrown back into reality. Reality that it was almost 3 in the morning and he had work at 6. “Yeah, you’re right, Finn. I should get going.” 

Poe started to turn to leave but just as he pivoted, Finn grabbed his arm and turned him back around. He placed a chaste kiss to Poe’s cheek and Poe swore that a ray of actual sunshine had just shot through his chest because he felt so warm and happy. His smile was huge and Finn grinned back at him. 

“I’ll call you, Finn.” 

“I’ll be waiting.”

And then Poe walked to his car like he was walking on air. Finn called to him from the doorway, “Goodnight! Drive safe, Dameron. And let me know when you get home.”

“Goodnight Finn.” He winked, “and don’t worry so much, I’m always careful.”

Finn’s heart was swelling as he watched his first responder hop inside and start the engine. He waved at Finn as he pulled away. “Merry Christmas, Poe.” Finn said quietly to himself before heading inside. His smile didn’t leave his lips all night. 

He laid in bed for 20 minutes until he received a text from Poe letting him know that he was home safe. 

Sighing with relief, Finn snuggled under the covers and tried to imagine that he was back on Poe’s couch, head on Poe’s shoulder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have one more chapter planned for these adorable nerds! Thank you for all the kudos (: happy new year <3

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! Any comments or critiques are welcome! Also if u have any suggestions or requests let me know... I’m trying to do a bit more writing while I’m still off from school! (:


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